Improvement in knitting machines



@uiten tartes atratffit.

WILLIAM H. MCNARY, O F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Lan-,.8 Parma N0. 64,241, um 11p-fz so', 1867.

IMPROVEMENT 'IN KNITTING TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN lle it known that I, VILLIAXI H. MCNARY, of the city ofA Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and Vuseful improvements in Knitting Machinery; and l do hereby declare that the following` is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-e -I Figure 1 is a. vertical section of a machine with my improvements, taken at right angles to its principal shaft.

Figure is a front view of thcsame, with the needle-ring and its holder omitted to expose the parts in rear thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan of the saine. i

Figures 4, 5, (i, T, S, 9,10, 11, 12, and 13, are views, which will he hereinafter explained, ot' some ot'the parts ofthe machine. I

Figures 14 and l5 illustrate the manner in which the machine knits a numherof stockings in a continuons piece. A

:Figures- 1li and li illustrate a. peculiar effect in knitting produced by one feature of my invention;

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Y l'l'.he'sereral improvements which constitute this invention relate to that class of knitting machines employing needles with short, inliexihle hooks, from which the stitches are taken by stitch-heoks without any longitudinal movement ofthe needles themselves. The said improvementsl are for thc most part more especially applicable to such machines of that class as have the rotaryr or lateral motion of their needles controlled, for the purpose of giving the desircd'form to stockings' or other articles, by means of a rot-ary studded cylinder or drum, and a threaded wheel, as described in my Letters Patent No. 28,290, dated May 15, 1860.

ATo enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A AEA* is the framing of the machine, consisting of a horizontal plate, A, supported on standards A* Al; i

B is the needle-ring, in which the needles (l n .are secured. This ring is tted to rotate lin a circular opening in' e plate, A5, bolted to the front part'of the `plate A, and' is held in its place hy an externally-toothed ring B" that is bolted or'otherwise {irmly secured to its bottom part, as shown in fig. 2; C is the main shaft, arranged horizontally behind and very-near the needle-ring, in'suitahle hearings Al A; and D is the threaded whcel,\ which I now term the switcl1-wl1eel," fitted with the movable switch D', and otherwise constructed and operatfA ing as described in my heforementioned Letters Patent. This wheel is secured upon the main shaft C, and its threads. gear directly with the toothed ring B', which is secured to the needle-ring B, and hy this direct gearing the said wheel is made todi-ive the needle-ring without the intermediate gearing described in myheforenientioncd Letters Patent. E is the studded cylinder by Ywhich the switch D .of the switch-wheel D is operated upon to control the direction and changes of direction of the revolution 'of the necdleoing, said cylinder being fastupon a horizontal shaft, I", arranged parallel with the main shaft'. The said.. cylinderV` has firmly secured to or cast with it a spur-wheel or 'ringot' spur teeth G, which gears with a spur-wheel, Gr', of smaller size, on a shaft, H, which is arranged in hearings A2 A2 `on the top ot' the plate A. The shaft H is also furnished with a. bevel-gear,-

-H, which gears with a bevel-gear, I, on a shaft, I, arranged in bearings at one side of the machine, and the latter shaft carries a worm-gear, I2, which gears with an endless screw, Ji", on the main shaft C, and through the shafts I and H, and `their gearing. 1lhe shaft F and cylinder E are caused to derive a slow but uninterrupted rotary motion from the main shaft. This cylinder E is of larger diameter, and shorter, than that described in my before-mentioned Letters Patent, and has on its periphery three double rows of studs, d* cZ (Pg and di di, arranged in lines running directly round it." W W are two spur-wheels, secured {irmly and. closely together' side hy side, and fitted to turn freely upon the shaft F, close to the studded cylinder E, and on thc opposite side thereof to the wheel or gearingG, but not allowed to move longitudinally upon the said shaft. '..lhe wheel W carries on the face next the cylinder E a series of pins, i Il* Ii b lIf", whose duty is toeperateeupon certain adjnnets of the forked lever through which the studs cl cl shift the switch D,as will be presently explained, and the wheel W carries on the face furthest from the cylinder E a pin, 1:, which operates upon the belt-shipper X to unlock it and leave it under the controlot' thespring X', which gives it tliefnecessary movementto shift the driving-belt from thc fast pulley F* to the loose pulley F-7 ot' the driving-shaft, for the purpose et' stopping the machine. Fig. G is a back view ot' the shipper, and fig. 'i' a. side view ot" the same partly in section, on a hir-ger scale than figs. 1, 2, 3. The cylinder E makes several revolutions during the knitting of a stocking, but the wheels W W malte exactly one revolution during that operation, their movement being produced by a single tooth, e, (see figs. 3 and 4,) on the shaft H, such tooth gearing with the wheel lV, and moving the said wheel one tooth during cach revolutie-n ofthe shaft Il. `The wheel W is for'loelting the wheel lV while the tooth cris out of gear, its teeth being so arranged relatively toV those` of W that when the tooth c escapes from a tooth otl the latter, a. cylindrical portion, ofthe shaft H, fits between two of the teeth ot' W in such a manner (shown in iig. 5) as to prevent the wheels moving in either direction. The unlocking ofthe wheels every time the tooth c comes inte operation on a tooth of the wheel W is effected by a noteh,f, in the cylindrical portion ,7" of the shaft H, coming at the saule time into position to receive a tooth ot the wheel W. J, (figs. 1, 3, 8, and 9,) is thc forked lever, which I now term the switch-lever, through which the studs Zi di Z2 (Z2 Z3 (Z3 of the cylinder E are niade to operate upon the switch D of the switch-wheel D. Fig. 8 exhibits a side view of this lever and the switch-wheel, and a section of the cylinder E, on a larger scale than rigs. 1 and il; and 9 is a plan view corresponding with tig. S. This lever works horizontally on a tixed fulerum, 7:, but instead of being made in ontI piece and perfectly rigid, like the corresponding lever described in Letters Patent No. 25,290, is furnished at its rear end, which is situated above the cylinder E, with three ting-ers, gl g2 fj, attached by a hinge or pin-joint, i', which permits them to move upward and downward relatively to the principal portion ot' the lever, but docs not'allow them to move horizontally independently ot' the lever. 'lhe said joint is further so constructed that the said fingers g1 y2 g3 are not quite permitted to touch the body of the cylinder, but thata triangular downward projection, 1G, on the rear part of each one, is allowed to come :so near to the body oi' the cylinder as to be subject to be acted upon by its respective double row of studs Z (Zl (Z2 zZE or (Z3 ci, to produce the horizontal movement ofthe lever. A three-prongedspring, j, secured to the rigid portion of the lever, presses separately upon each vof the iingcrs g1 g2 g3 in such manner as to tend always to hold 'down the latter :1s-far as the construction ot' the joint z'perinits, but'this spring allows either inger to be raised up high enough for its respective studs (Zl CZ (Z2 (Z2 or d3 cZ3 to pass without touching its projection 1G, whenever a. wedge-like portion, 17, ot such finger is operated upenby one of three larger studs :Zhi: Zi Z'"*, which project from the periphery of the cylinder. There is attached to the rigid portion of the lever a threc-tongued spring, Ztl c2 Zt, whose tongues, one for each ofthe fingers gl g2 g, are each so formed with a projection, 18, on one side, as shown in iig. 10, which exhibits ai end view of the said spring, and in g. 11, which is a front view ot' the said spring, the lever J, and their appendages, that when either of the ngers gl g2 5f' is raised up by its respective stud :Z (Z2 or d, the said projection 18, or its respective tongue of the spring, will pass under the said fingers and hold'it up, as illustrate'L by the tongues kaft, and fingers g2 g3, in iigs. 10 and 11. Each ot' the tongues Zc kf J has on the side nexttthe wheel lV a projection, 19, with a wedge-shaped end, to be acted upon by one ofthe before-described pins Zd Zd Ll L2 or Zfi 0n the face of the s d wheel, for the purpose of pushing the tongue aside whenever it is desired to liberate and let drop its respective finger g rf or y". The studs (Zx d* operate in connection with the finger gl to more the switchlever during the knitting of the cali` et the stocking; those, LZ" df, operate in connection with the iinger g2 during the knitting of the heel; and those, d .Z", operate in connection willi the finger g in the knitting of the toe. The pins Zd Z1" Z1z b3 throw their respective iingcrs into operation :it the proper stages for commencing the cult', hecl, and toc. 'lhrce pins Zf' b1 Zz are used, as itis desirable to suspend and resume the ogpcration otl the switch-lever, and switch twice or more times during the formation et' the calf'. i 'lhc longer studs LZ* (ZH: and J3* corne into operation on the ingers g1 [/'2 f at the proper stages for suspending the operation of the switch-lever, and coi-.- tinuing to knit all round the whole series of needles, the said studs raising up the said fingers so high that thc .switch-lever will remain undisturbed by the shorter studs (Z di, (Z: LZ'-, and (Z3 (Z3, and while the said lever rcinains undisturbed the switch D will renn-.in stationary relatively to its wheel D, and consequently the needle-ring will derive a continuous rotary inotion in one direction troni the switch-wheel. Zl(gs. 1, 3, and il) are two tixed stops which liniit the niovcinent ot' the s\vitch-lcvcr; and m is a lockingspring secured to the p latc A, and acting upon a bercllcd' tooth. m, on the tup ci' the lever J, to secure it against either stop, but lyielding to thc action ofthe pins Z Z2 dii. Itv has. .early been dcscrilicd h'ownhe switch-wheel gears directly with the teeth upon the needle-rin ind so drives it without intermediate gearing. In order to enable thf.` inain shat't C to be brought to a proper p en relativelyp to the needle-ring to effect this result, the cranks n l11, which operate the stitchhooks, are carried, not bj.' the niain shaft C, as described in my before-mentioned Letters Patent, but by two short shafts L L'v (see tig-s. l1, 2, and l, and also iig. 12. which is a sectional side view ot the switch-hook operating and messer-operating apparatus,) .said shat'ts being arranged in line with each other, parallel willi the inain shaft, in bearings in two short standards A All secured on the top of the plate A. These shafts L L are cach furnished with a spur gear, L', which gears with oncot two spur gears C of similar size, carried by the niain shat't. This gearing is best shown in fig. 1?.. The switch-hook operating apparatus does not ditier essentially in its construction and operation from that described in my betere-mentioned Letters Patent in any respect, but in having the driving-cranks n 12, carried by the two .separate shafts L L, geared with the niain shaft, and hence docs not'hcrc need any particular description t'urther than necessary to prevent confusion ot' the parts of the drawing. p l: are the stitch-hooks, and M the bar termed the stitch-honk bar, tn whichthey ar'c attached` the said bar being constructed and furnished at its ends with arms Ml Mi containing bearings te receive the cranks n v11, and each arm being slotted or groovod longitudinally, as shown at (j, in figs. :2 and l2i, to receive and slide upon one et' the square blocks a", which is fitted to one ot` twn'iixcd pins 7', which are held by the two rigid arias M: )if that are firmly secured to thc twn standards A A. :s .a arc the face can'is, with which the cranltsa 1.- arc surrounded. for the purpose etl giving the necessary longitudinal movement to the stitch-hook bar z an s are the cani-like surfaces provided upon the arins M: M" for the said cams n s to act upon t'or thc abovel purpose. t t are the v hook of the needles.

pressers attached to a har, N, carried by the two bent arms Old()1 ofa-rock-shaft O, which is arranged'betwee'n centre screws t' ti, carried b y the two arms I P of another vrock-shaft P, which is arranged between centre screws t? 1"', inserted through the rigid hangers A4 A, dependent fromthebed-platev A ofthe machine. The rockshaft O has a third arm, O2, carrying -a frictionsroller, u, which enters a', groove, ci', in the side of a'cam, O3, on the main shaft.. This cam O3, though not shown in 1:2, has the form of its groove represented in that figure in red outline.' The arms I I ot' the rock-shaft P carry friction-rollers z', oneeach, which are received in cam-grooves r in the faces of the vtwo spur gears C C, both cam-grooves t" being of the same shape. The

form and relatio'uof the cam-grooves 1f' and r is shown best in 12, but the several part-s of the presseroperating'mechanism are shown with more orilcss distinctncss in figs. 1, and 3, and part-ly in iig. 13, which exhibits a sideview of thecam O3, with a section of the yarn-conductor and its appendages, and of part of the presser-,operating u1echanism. The said cam-grooves u and v', by their combined action on the arms O2 and l P', cause the pressers to receive the following movement, to wit: They first descend to press the work down on the needles, then risc far enough to 'case the work up while the stitches are being thrown over the hooks of the needlcs,.then'descend again to bringy the whole of the work down, and are afterward withdrawn by a movement in a nearly horizontal direction, preparatoryv to or during their ascent, to bring them to a position to commence the next movement'to press thc work down again as at first mentioned. By this peculiar movement of the pressers, more especially that part of it which' consists in withdrawing them horizontall) or nearly so from betweenthc needles, the knittingon immediately adjacent needles is permitted, as the prcssers are so kept out of the way of the stitch-hooks and f theyarn-conductors u' '14', that; all arepcrmitted to operate iueonnection with imme' diately adjacent needles at the same time. The yarn-'conductors w u' are attached to a bar, Q, which is carried by the two arms R1 R1 of a rock-shaft, 1i, which fitted to rock and also to slide longitudinally in bearings in the hangers A* A* before mentioned. 'This rock-shaft R has another arm, R2, carrying a friction-roller, z, which is received in a groove, :1f,'in the cam O", and thc said cam-groove, by its operation on the said pin, produces the necessary movement of the yarn-conductors to place the yarns in a propel' position to be received within the lhclateral movement, termed shifting, which the yarn-conductors require to have every time the direction of the movement of the nccdlc-ring is changed, is produced by the operation of the switch D',

'in a forli, R3, formed upon or rigidly attached to the rock-shaft It, said switch thus giving the said rock-shaft a 'iongitudinal movement in onedirection or the other every time thc said switch itself is shifted by the lever J. The yarn-conductors have in the ltnitting operation the usual backward and forward movement between thc needles, passing from the inside to the outside of the circle of needles before, and from -the outside to the inside thereof, after the lateral movement of the needles, and so causing the yarn to be laid round the outer sides of the needles on which the hooks :1re situated. It has been customary, when the direction of the rotary or lateral movement of thcA needle was about to bc reversed, to'=sl1ift: the conductors while they were behind or inside of the circle ofneedles, but I so apply the shaft R and its fork R3 relatively to thel switch-wheel and switch, thatthe shifting is e'ected while they are ou the outside of the circle or in front ofthe needles, by which means, ony the reversal Vof the lateral'movement ofthe needles, I cause the tirst loop, in the new course'produced by each of the several yarns employedyto be placed round the same needle as the last loops in the' previous course, thel ecct of which is to produce much stronger, and firmer, and more evenx work in the heel, toe, and calf, as I will attempt to explain with reference to the diagrams, figs. 16 and 17. Fig. 16 illustrates the effects produced byshifting the conductors inside or behind the needles. flhc course of loops represented on the needles d a a has been produced while the needlesinoved in the direction lof the arrow and the needles have just made one movement in the opposite direction. It will be seen that thc portion of the yarn to form the first loop y 0f the new course passes behind and not round the needle a', upon which the last loop z of the former course was formed, and hence when a loop of another course comes to he formed upon the needle a', (as shown in red outline,) it only passes through thc loop z, and not through theloop y. Fig. 17 shows the effect of shifting outside of the needles, viz, carrying the new loop g/ round'-` thc `last needle at, as well as the next one a, and causing the next loop taken on the needle (as shown by thc red outline,) to pass through both loops y and e. R'L is a toothed stop spring, entering one of two notches 20, 21, in the shaft R, for locking it in either position to which it may be shifted by thcswitcli.

I have now described the construction and the individua-l operations of the several parts of the machine,

Aand before describing thc operation of knitting stockings in a. continuous piece, as illustrated in fig. 14, I will 'explain the systcm by' which I produce fulncss in the calf. The'knitting ofeacli stocking is commenced at the toe,and after the leg has been completed the knitting is proceeded with on one-half of the circular series of rneedles to form a bag for the toc of thc next one, as shown in g. 15, where B* represents the bag; the line 1, 3, represents half the .upper-edge of the leg, which has been allowed to remain on the needles while the toc B* has been knitted; the line 1, 4, 3, represents the half of the toe` which remains on the needles; and the line 1, 2, 3, represents thc line of junction between the leg ofthe one'stocking andthe toe of the next, the said line 1, 2, 3, containing the same` number of loops as there are in the half 1, 5, 3, of the margin of the leg. The machine is now stopped to remove the loops in 1, 5, 3, from the needles, Aand place the loops'in 1, 2, 3, on the same needles,vand the machine again started, when the knitting ofthe stocking proceeds to completion, and the opera tion isfurt-her continued till a'bag, Bi, for another one is produced, when the loops in the part 1, 5, 3, require to bc exchanged fr those inthe part'l, 2, 3, as before; this one stoppage in each stocking being the. only stoppage neccssaryin thc production of a continuous piece containing any number of stockings, which may bc separated by cutting the attached portion ofthe leg of cach close to its junction with the toe of the next one. 'lhc'ulness in the calf is produced bycausiug thc needle-ring or circular series cf needles, instead of having a. continuous rotary motion in one direction duringfthe knitting of the-whole ofthe leg ofthe stocking, to have, at, the proper stages of the knitting, a movement in opposite directions, alternately, to' the extent of more or less than a complete revolution, giving it a continuousv rotarymotionV in .knitting all the rest of the'leg. As I desire to patent this mode of producing the fulncss as a separate-invention,-have now only describedit suiliciently to enable me to explain the operation of the machine. vthe starting'ot" the machine the knitting may be commenced in any part of a stocking, according to the relative positions of the studded cylinder E and wheels "W lV with respect to the switch-lever. The most convenient place for commencing will be near the top of the leg, after the pins b1 l lbl have all passed ingers gl g2 ffl, the switch-lever and the said fingers g1 g2 g3 have all been raised up out of range of the pins all cl2 033 by the action of the pins d1* di* The operation will then proceed with a continuous rotary motion of the needle-ring until the toe pin L? in the wheel Y comes into operation on the projection 19 of the spring k3, and causes the finger g3 to be dropped withinV range of the-pins il (Il, which then, by their action on the switch-Jever, shift the switch to reverse the needle-ring at proper intel'- vals until the toe of the new stocking has been completed, when the pin d, of the cylinder E, comes round and lifts the finger g3, and the Continuous rotary motion of the needle-ring is proceeded with long enough to knit the foot. The heel-pin 11.2, on the wheel W', then comes into operation on the spring k2, and causes the {inger 22 to be dropped 'within range of the pins d2, which then by their action on the switch-lever shift the switch at proper intervals to reverse the motion of the needle-ring till the heel-is knitted, when the pin du, on the cylinder, comes into operation on the finger gt' and lifts it out of range of the pins 52622. The operation of knitting the lower part of the leg now proceeds without any reversal of the needle-ring till the first caltpinh' comes round, and by its action on spring clberatos and lets drop the finger g1 within the range ofthe pins d1 (Z1, which then operate on the switch-lever to reverse the revolution of the needle-ring as often as may be necessary. During the formation of the calf the iingergl is raised by the stud UZU, of the cylinder E, and caused to drop again bythe pins bl b1 twice after its being caused to drop bythe first pin Zal, the studded cylinder E making three revolutions while the cali` is being formed.l The fingers g2 gi' might in a similar manner beraised and let fall again while the hecl and toeu'espectively are being formed, according as the velocity of rotation of the cylinder E may be proportioned to that of' the wheels W', which only make one revolution while the stocking is made. It will be obvious to persons familiar with the operations of knitting machinery, that by a proper arrangement of thc studs on the cylinder E, the knitting of a stocking may be commenced at the top of the leg, and completed at the toe, but in that case it would be diicult, if possible, to make the toe without its requiring a. seam to complete it. Instead of the large wheel VY, a small wheel furnished with suitable wipers,

and arranged with its axis at right angles to the axis of thc cylinder, and having imparted to it an exceedingly slow rotary motion, may be used as an equivalent of such wheel. A switch-lever furnished with one finger, constructed and applied in all respects like g1 g2 or g, and having springs applied in connection with the said finger, in all respects like 7' and c c2 or c3,n1ay be used in connection with the rotating and longitudinally moving studded cylinder described in my before-mentioned Letters Patent. In the use of one movable finger only, the spring which holds up the finger like k1 k2 or k3 may be tripped by long studs on the cylinder itself,

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Pat-ent, is-

l. In combination with the needle-ring the presser having the compound motions, substantially :is and for the purpose described.

2. Operating the stitch-hooks by cranks upon separate shafts carrying gear-wheels engaging corresponding wheels on the main shaft, substantially as and for the purpose described; and

3. Connecting the threads of the switch-wheel directly with the needle-ring, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

WM. H. MCNARY.

Vitn esses:

T. BnowN, WM. H. Niswrox. 

